Synehurst

How did the road get its name?

Synehurst is so-called because of the old field name.  The land was known as Seaneys Ground at the beginning of the 19th century but, by the beginning of the 20th century, it was known as Corner Ground or Sinehurst.  The land used to belong to Aldington but it became part of Badsey in 1921.

When did housing development begin?

A new road was built across Seaneys Ground in about 1815, at the behest of the Badsey Enclosure Commissioners, and this became the new main road out of the village to Evesham.   It ran north from the Manor House to link with the main road from Evesham.  The old main road to Evesham (along the present-day Old Post Office Lane) was stopped, thus shortening the journey by 420 yards.  Two cottages owned by Edward Laugher (situated between the present-day Manor House and Oakleigh House) had to be demolished to accommodate the new road.  It was not until over a hundred years later that housing development started along Synehurst.  The new, privately-owned houses which had been built in Badsey in the 1890s and early 20th century were insufficient to satisfy the needs of a rapidly growing population.  More houses were needed and Badsey demanded its share of the Council Houses to be built under the provisions of the Housing and Town Planning Act of 1909.  A scheme was proposed but had to be abandoned because of the war.  In 1918, by which time urgent action was required, Charles Binyon was asked to press for 24 “cottages” to be constructed at Badsey.  Plans progressed to build 24 semi-detached houses as a joint Badsey and Aldington scheme.  By July 1920, the first eight of the houses were occupied.  There were 67 applications for the 24 council houses, so it was clear that more houses were required.  In a second phase of development in 1927, another 14 houses were built on the east side of the road.

Further information about the road may be found in the chapter called "Council Housing in Badsey & Aldington" by Will Dallimore, in Aldington and Badsey:  Villages in the Vale - A Tapestry of Local History.

Numbering system

The present-day road runs from the northern end of the High Street, and then bears west when it reaches Bretforton Road.  From the very outset, numbers were given to the new houses, but this numbering system changed in 1950.  The five pairs of semi-detached houses built in 1920 on the west side of Synehurst remained as numbers 1-10, but those built at the same time, which actually curved round to the south side of Bretforton Road, were given the numbers 25-38 Synehurst.  The six pairs on the east side built in 1927 became numbers 11-22.  Number 23 was omitted and number 24 Synehurst has ended up being sandwiched between two houses (Bank House and No 2A) with an address of Bretforton Road.  The reason for this anomaly is because the occupant of the eastern side (originally No 38) had a taxi service and felt it would be better for business if his house had an address of Bretforton Road rather than Synehurst.  He tried to change the address of both halves of the semi-detached house to Bretforton Road but Ted Evans, who lived in No 37, was upset, as he wanted it to stay with the original road-name.  Two Badsey Council School children drew a sketch and plan of their new homes.  Charles Henry Malin (1909-1969), whose family had moved into No 3, drew a sketch of a pair of the new Council Houses, whilst his classmate, George William Geden (1907-1982), whose family had moved into No 37, drew a plan of the house.

19th and early 20th century auctions and ownership

Seaneys Ground is mentioned in the Aldington Enclosure Awards.  At an auction on 10th June 1912, Sinehurst was sold as Lot 16 to Mr F Thould, the tenant, who later sold it to Evesham District Rural Council.